Page 274 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Switzerland

Domestic Train Travel Boats and Ferries
Travelling by train is one of the best ways to see
the country. The comprehensive Swiss rail net­ In some cities, boats form an integral part of the
work is operated by Swiss Federal Railways or transport system. Yellow mouettes (bus­boats)
SBB/CFF/FFS (Schweizerische Bundesbahnen/ operated by Mouettes Genevoises Navigation
Chemins de Fer Fédéraux Suisses/Ferrovie shuttle foot passengers across Lake Geneva,
Federali Svizzere). Trains are modern, clean and while quirky fähri (cable­ferries) run by Fähri-
comfortable, service is frequent and depend ably Verein Basel have been ferrying people across
NEED TO KNOW Getting Around at platform entrances. There are heavy on­ Plying the waters of many of the major lakes
the Rhine in Basel since the mid­19th century.
punctual and connections tie in well with tram,
bus, boat and cable car services.
A cruise on one of Switzerland’s lakes and
rivers is a relaxing way to explore the country.
Tickets must be validated in machines set
the­spot fines for travellers caught with an
are old­fashioned paddle steamers and other
ves sels, including those run by SBS across the
unstamped ticket. Swiss Travel System (part of
Bodensee, CGN on Lake Geneva, SGV on Lake
Switzerland Tourism) offer a range of dis counted
Lucerne and ZSG across the Zürichsee.
travel passes for use on all modes of transport.
One of the most popular is the Swiss Travel Pass, CGN
∑ cgn.ch
which allows unlimited travel on most train, bus,
tram and boat services, dis counts on some funi­
∑ faehri.ch
culars and cable cars and entry to over 500
Mouettes Genevoises Navigation
museums. There is also a Junior Travelcard for
∑ mouettesgenevoises.ch
children aged 6 to 16 years. Most travel passes Fähri-Verein Basel
can be purchased in advance from travel agen­ SBS
cies and Swiss tourist offices in your country. ∑ sbsag.ch
Switzerland is known for its scenic railways, SGV
which allow visitors to enjoy the spectacular ∑ lakelucerne.ch
scenery in special trains with glass­roofed car­ ZSG
riages. Among the most popular are the Bernina ∑ zsg.ch
Express (Chur or Davos to Tirano, Italy), Golden
Pass Line (Montreux to Lucerne), Gotthard Public Transport
Panorama Express (Lucerne to Lugano) and
Glacier Express (St Moritz to Zermatt). It is S-Bahn and RER
essential to book in advance for these. Some cities, including Basel, Bern, Geneva and
Bernina Express Zürich, have comprehensive urban rail networks
∑ rhb.ch (called S­Bahn in German and RER in French)
Glacier Express which radiate out from the city centres to the
∑ glacierexpress.ch suburbs and neighbouring towns. Some towns
Golden Pass Line built on steep cliffs or hillsides, such as Lausanne
∑ goldenpass.ch and Fribourg, also have funicular railways.
Gotthard Panorama Express
∑ sbb.ch Metro
SBB/CFF/FFS Lausanne, the world’s smallest city, is the only
∑ sbb.ch Swiss city to have a metro. It has two lines and
Swiss Travel System 30 stops. It operates from 5:30am to midnight
∑ swisstravelsystem.com with trains every five to seven minutes.
Lausanne Metro
Long-Distance Bus Travel ∑ t­l.ch
Eurolines offer several coach routes between Buses and Trams
Swiss destinations and other European cities. The quickest and easiest way of getting around
Switzerland has an extensive network of routes towns and cities is by hopping on a bus or tram.
covered by local buses and Swiss Post’s distinc­ These run at frequent intervals from around
tive yellow postbuses. The latter vary in size 5am to midnight. Larger cities also operate
depending on the remoteness of the des tination a reduced night­bus service at weekends.
and are useful for reaching alpine loca tions Tickets are available from machines at every
inaccessible by rail. They also carry unac com­ bus and tram stop, and are usually valid on all
panied luggage, which is handy for hikers. modes of transport. In most towns, the trans­
Eurolines port network is divided into zones; the more
∑ eurolines.eu zones you traverse the higher the fare. Tickets
Swiss Post valid for limited periods, from 30 minutes to a
∑ swisspost.ch full day or more, are also available. These include
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